Dry eye happens when your eyes don’t make enough tears to stay wet, or when your tears don’t work correctly.
This can make your eyes feel uncomfortable, and in some cases it can also cause vision problems.
Dry eye is common — it affects millions of Americans every year.
The good news is that if you have dry eye, there are lots of things you can do to keep your eyes healthy and stay comfortable.
What are the symptoms of dry eye?
Dry eye can cause:
A scratchy feeling, like there’s something in your eye
Stinging or burning feelings in your eye
Red eyes
Sensitivity to light
Blurry vision
Am I at risk for dry eye?
Anyone can get dry eye, but you might be more likely to have dry eye if you:
Are age 50 or older
Are female
Wear contact lenses
Don’t get enough vitamin A (found in foods like carrots, broccoli, and liver) or omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish, walnuts, and vegetable oils)
Have certain autoimmune conditions, like lupus or Sjögren syndrome
What causes dry eye?
Normally, glands above your eyes make tears that keep your eyes wet. Dry eye happens when your tears don’t do their job. This could mean:
Your glands don’t make enough tears to keep your eyes wet
Your tears dry up too fast
Your tears just don’t work well enough to keep your eyes wet
Learn more about the causes of dry eye
How will my eye doctor check for dry eye?
Your doctor can check for dry eye as part of a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
The exam is simple and painless — your doctor will give you some eye drops to dilate (widen) your pupil and then check your eyes for dry eye and other eye problems.
Be sure to tell your doctor if you think you might have dry eye. To find out if you have dry eye, your doctor might check:
The amount of tears your eyes make;
How long it takes for your tears to dry up;
The structure of your eyelids.
If you care about eye health, please read studies about how your eyes could show early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, and findings of a new treatment for severe dry eye disease.
For more information about eye disease prevention and treatment, please see recent studies about vitamin A analog that may help treat eye diseases caused by diabetes, and results showing that new eye drops may prevent a common cause of blindness.
Source: National Eye Institute
